Madagascar lights the way for Africa
When Madagascar overcame the South Africa Amateur XV to reach the final of this year's CAR Top Nine championship last weekend, the President of the African Rugby Confederation (CAR) Aziz Bougja was an extremely happy man.
Not because he thought that his native Moroccans would fare better in the final against the men from Antananarivo than against the hardened South Africans, but rather because the win is exactly what CAR has been striving to achieve: Marketable fruits of its labour.
>> LISTEN TO AZIZ BOUGJA ON TOTAL RUGBY (FRENCH)
>> ECOUTEZ AZIZ BOUGJA SUR TOTAL RUGBY (VERSION ORIGINALE, FRANCAIS)
Thirty-two of the 50 countries on the African continent now play rugby and, while South Africa's professional elite is obviously still light years ahead of the nearest continental challenge, the ground between them and the rest is being eaten away with excessive appetite.
Make no mistake: Amateur or not, the bunch of South Africans beaten on Saturday combine to make a very strong side. The serious end of amateur rugby is serious - ask the French XV - and international amateur sides are not to be sniffed at. The plain facts of this confrontation though - South Africa has 500,000 rugby players to Madagascar's 11,000 - scream from the rafters the significance and of this win for African rugby.
"As President of the African Confederation, I can only be delighted by what has happened," Aziz Bougja told Total Rugby Radio. "I have to admit that I am surprised that Madagascar have reached the final, but when you work hard you get all that you deserve. Madagascar have taken this very seriously, they have put everything behind it, and have achieved.
"They also held on in the second half after leading at the break, which takes a lot of doing against an experienced side, but with 40,000 people supporting them they were able to do that."
Neither is the win over the South Africans a one-off; barely a month ago the side overcame Rugby World Cup veterans the Ivory Coast, at which point head coach Joseph Bertrand Rafalimanana admitted that his men needed another such victory to confirm their status as a rugby power to be taken seriously in Africa. An affirmation they now have.
Rugby has enjoyed a fascinating up-surge in Madagascar, but the sport's roots are buried deep enough that the weekend's success also marked the country's centenary of the sport. Only a handful of countries anywhere in the world call rugby the national sport, but Madagascar is one of them.
Jean-Luc Barthes, IRB Regional Development Manager for Francophone Africa, admits to feeling humbled by the people's attitude to the game in the country.
"There is a crazed infatuation with rugby among the people of this wonderful country. The strength of feeling is almost beyond comprehension."
And now onto Paris and the splendour of the Stade de France for the final against Morocco on 26 November. What greater stage for an African final than to raise the curtain to a match between the two 'god parents' of African rugby - France and South Africa.
"The two most significant allies to rugby's development in Africa have, along with the IRB, been South Africa and France," said Bougja. "The South African union has greatly helped us and now this gesture from the French Rugby Federation (FFR) in inviting us for the final is the latest act of generosity from them."
On paper, Morocco are ranked 21 in the world and should beat 43rd-ranked Madagascar, but the 'Makis' have more centenary celebrations in mind, and a fairytale ending to cap a remarkable year.
By Seb Lauzier
Not because he thought that his native Moroccans would fare better in the final against the men from Antananarivo than against the hardened South Africans, but rather because the win is exactly what CAR has been striving to achieve: Marketable fruits of its labour.
>> LISTEN TO AZIZ BOUGJA ON TOTAL RUGBY (FRENCH)
>> ECOUTEZ AZIZ BOUGJA SUR TOTAL RUGBY (VERSION ORIGINALE, FRANCAIS)
Thirty-two of the 50 countries on the African continent now play rugby and, while South Africa's professional elite is obviously still light years ahead of the nearest continental challenge, the ground between them and the rest is being eaten away with excessive appetite.
Make no mistake: Amateur or not, the bunch of South Africans beaten on Saturday combine to make a very strong side. The serious end of amateur rugby is serious - ask the French XV - and international amateur sides are not to be sniffed at. The plain facts of this confrontation though - South Africa has 500,000 rugby players to Madagascar's 11,000 - scream from the rafters the significance and of this win for African rugby.
"As President of the African Confederation, I can only be delighted by what has happened," Aziz Bougja told Total Rugby Radio. "I have to admit that I am surprised that Madagascar have reached the final, but when you work hard you get all that you deserve. Madagascar have taken this very seriously, they have put everything behind it, and have achieved.
"They also held on in the second half after leading at the break, which takes a lot of doing against an experienced side, but with 40,000 people supporting them they were able to do that."
Neither is the win over the South Africans a one-off; barely a month ago the side overcame Rugby World Cup veterans the Ivory Coast, at which point head coach Joseph Bertrand Rafalimanana admitted that his men needed another such victory to confirm their status as a rugby power to be taken seriously in Africa. An affirmation they now have.
Rugby has enjoyed a fascinating up-surge in Madagascar, but the sport's roots are buried deep enough that the weekend's success also marked the country's centenary of the sport. Only a handful of countries anywhere in the world call rugby the national sport, but Madagascar is one of them.
Jean-Luc Barthes, IRB Regional Development Manager for Francophone Africa, admits to feeling humbled by the people's attitude to the game in the country.
"There is a crazed infatuation with rugby among the people of this wonderful country. The strength of feeling is almost beyond comprehension."
And now onto Paris and the splendour of the Stade de France for the final against Morocco on 26 November. What greater stage for an African final than to raise the curtain to a match between the two 'god parents' of African rugby - France and South Africa.
"The two most significant allies to rugby's development in Africa have, along with the IRB, been South Africa and France," said Bougja. "The South African union has greatly helped us and now this gesture from the French Rugby Federation (FFR) in inviting us for the final is the latest act of generosity from them."
On paper, Morocco are ranked 21 in the world and should beat 43rd-ranked Madagascar, but the 'Makis' have more centenary celebrations in mind, and a fairytale ending to cap a remarkable year.
By Seb Lauzier
posted by Zo Heri at 11:16 PM
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